Find out more below about our third WRE Conference and Exhibition Speakers and their talks for the second session on Water Reuse for Agriculture:
Frank Swartjes
Project Manager, Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), The Netherlands
Frank Swartjes, PhD, has a background in hydrology and soil chemistry. He has been working in the field of risk-based management of soil and groundwater since 1986. After working at the West-Berlin Technical University and the consultancy Fugro-McClelland in the Netherlands, he has been employed at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) for more than 30 years. At the RIVM, he combines management tasks with research activities. His general interest is in the development of risk assessment tools and their implementation into practical procedures and solutions (human health and ecological risk assessment, pollutant transport risks).
Keynote: Assessment framework for use of urban wastewater for agriculture in the Netherlands
In analogy with the enforcement of the Regulation (EU) 2020/741 in the Netherlands, a risk management plan must be prepared when applying for a water reuse system permit. To support this risk management plan, a quality assessment framework was developed meant to protect humans, plants and the environment from adverse effects from chemical substances and pathogens present in urban wastewater. For chemicals, existing standards have been used that limit the maximum amount of the substances in wastewater. Additionally, criteria have been developed for the safe consumption of crops and animal products (food safety). For pathogens, the risks associated with types that are harmful to humans and crops have been identified. For human pathogens, the number of E. coli has been chosen as criterion in urban wastewater, due to the prevalence of this bacterium. Regarding crop pathogens, only low amounts of pathogens that are generally present in soils are added with urban wastewater as irrigation water. The only identified risk concerns crops from greenhouses, because they are grown in a sterile environment. In this case, small amounts of additional pathogens can cause more damage compared to the sterile environment.
Chrystelle Ayache
Project Manager, Veolia, France
Chrystelle Ayache is a project manager at Veolia in the Scientific and Technical Expertise Department. She obtained a master degree in biotechnology in France and a thesis jointly from the University of Poitiers in France and from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, in Australia. She is interested in innova8on in biological processes and water reuse.
Presentation: Water reclamation and reuse: a solution for vine irrigation
Water reclamation and reuse is an essential solution to address the pressure on water resources exacerbated by climate change impacts. In Europe, fresh water is relatively abundant but growing tensions appear locally at certain times of the year. Treated wastewater is an alternative water resource, and its use for agricultural irrigation has been growing worldwide since the beginning of the 21st century.
Veolia has developed various solutions to support water reuse for agricultural irrigation, notably through its participation in the Irrialt’eau collaborative research project that focused on vineyard irrigation in the south of France. All the results produced during the project demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of applying this process for vine drip irrigation while effectively managing health and environmental risks. Today, the project has been successfully scaled up, facilitating irrigation across 80 hectares thanks to the REUT Box, a standard packaged solution developed by Veolia. New opportunities are now emerging beyond water for the valorisation of nutrients naturally present in water (fertirrigation), further enhanced using advanced digital solutions. Looking ahead, agricultural water reuse projects should focus on the generation of even greater value to improve economic viability and climate resilience.
Bart Letterie
Researcher and Lecturer, Water Technology Research Group, HZ University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands
Bart Letterie is researcher and lecturer for the Water Technology research group at HZ University of Applied Sciences in Middelburg, the Netherlands. He holds a master’s degree in Hydrology and Water Quality and has a strong background in biological wastewater treatment, water polishing, water storage and decentralized water treatment. The applied research projects he is working on demonstrate technologies, applicable legislation and infrastructure required for water reuse. He also teaches in the bachelor programs Water Management and Global Project and Change Management and supervises interns and graduate students on the research projects he is working on.
Presentation: EffluentFit4Food: What needs to be done to reuse WWTP effluent as irrigation water in agriculture?
The reuse of municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent as irrigation water is a possible solution for freshwater shortages. The main concern of reusing WWTP effluent is water quality, especially the presence of micropollutants (MPs). This project studied the possibilities of reusing WWTP effluent in agriculture. WWTP effluent was screened on MPs using a library screening. A pilot was done testing both ozonation and ozonation in combination with biological treatment. The required ozone dose, the removal of MPs and the formation of by-products (bromate) was tested. The untreated and the treated WWTP effluent was used to grow pears, potatoes and onions. MPs were measured in the untreated WWTP effluent, the treated WWTP effluent and in the crops. MPs were found in the untreated effluent and treatment significantly reduced the amount and concentrations of MPs. By combining ozone with biological treatment, the ozone dose can be lowered (from 0.9 g O3/g DOC to 0.43 g O3/g DOC) resulting in lower energy consumption and bromate concentrations below 0.2 μg/l. MPs were also detected in the crops. The crops irrigated with the untreated WWTP effluent contain higher concentrations of MPs than the crops irrigated with treated WWTP effluent.
